Part 4 — CHAP. II.

How to attain to the Soft in Writing.

That a Shepherd should talk in a different Dialect from other People, is allow'd by all. That the Pastoral Language should be soft and agreeable is equally past dispute. The only remaining Question then is, what it is that composes such a Dialect, and how to attain it.

In order to compose a Pastoral Dialect entirely perfect; the first thing, I think, a Writer has to do, is, as we said before, to enervate it and deprive it of all strength.

As for the manner of enervating a Language, it must be perform'd by the Genius of the Poet, and not shown by a Critick. However when the Thing is done, 'tis not difficult to see what chiefly effected it. There are, I think, Cubbin, two Things that principally enervate your Language.

First, 'Tis perform'd by throwing out all Words that are Sonorous and raise a Verse. Mr. PHILIPS comes the nearest to a Pastoral Language of any English Swain but Spencer. And he has truly enervated his Language in four several Lines. One of which is the last of these two.

Ye Swains, I beg ye pass in silence by; My Love in yonder Vale asleep doth lye.

The Word Doth, is what enervates the last Line. But 'twould be still better enervated if Mr. Philips had used only such Words as have very few Consonants in them. For by Consonants, joyn'd with the Vowel O, a Writer may render his Language, in Epick Poetry, just as Sonorous as he will; and by the want of Consonants and by delighting in the other soft Vowels he may render it weak. I cannot see that Mr. PHILIPS has any Line where the Language is wholly enervated. But see how Spencer has done this. Especially in the second of these Lines.

The gentle Shepherd sate beside a Spring. All in the Shadow of a Bushy Breer. &c.

In this last Line, there is but one Word end's with a Consonant, where the following Word begin's with one. But a Writer, who is perfectly Master of his Language, will be able to have every Line like this; and no Word more strong than Evening, Rivulet, and the like, will he be forc'd to use.

Secondly, The Language is by nothing more weaken'd, than by the use of Monisyllables. This no one ever had the least Notion of but Spencer. Which I wonder has not been observed, 'tis so very palpable in him. What makes the finess of these Lines else?

All as the Sheep such was the Shepherd's look, For pale and wan he was (alas the while!) May seem he lov'd, or also some Care he took, Well could he tune his Pipe and form his Stile.

Past. 1.

Here is but two Words for four Lines, except Monosyllables.

The best Lines in PHILIPS, for the Language, are these, where Monosyllables reign.

…Fine gain at length, I trow, To hoard up to my self such deal of Woe!

And the last of these; for the first is rough thro' too many Consonants.

A lewd Desire strange Lands and Swains to know: Ah Gad! that ever I should covet Woe! Past. 2.

There are other Methods, I see, Cubbin, you have taken to enervate your Language; too minute and too numerous to recite, but they are easily, I think, observ'd, if a Person peruses the Pastoral Writers with Care.

When our Dialect is thus render'd weak and low, we must then add to it, (in order to render it as pleasant as a Dialect that is not low and mean) Simplicity, Softness and Rusticity. This is perform'd principally by these three things. By Old-Terms; by Turns of Words, and Phrazes; and by Compound Words. Of all which I shall crave leave to treat distinctly. And first of Ancient Terms.

SECT. 2.

Of Old-Words.

When first I look'd into Chaucer. I thought him the most dry insipid Writer I ever saw. And there is indeed nothing very valuable in either his Images or Thoughts; but after a Person is accustom'd to his manner of Writing and his Stile, there is something of Simplicity in his Old Language, inimitably sweet and pleasing. If 'tis thus in Chaucer, in Pastoral such a Language is vastly more delightful. For we expect something very much out of the Way, when we come among Shepherds; and how can the Language of Shepherds be made to differ from that of other Persons, if they use not Old-Words?

'Tis very remarkable that all our greatest Poets whose Works will live to Eternity, have introduced into their Language Old-Words; as Shakespear, Spencer, Milton. Dryden also, whose Genius was much inferiour to those Writers; has used some few. And Ben. Johnson (tho' he lived at the same time with Shakespear, Spencer, &c.) whose Genius was yet meaner than Dryden, has not one Old-Word.

Ancient Terms were doubtless a great disadvantage, especially to Spencer, when his Works appear'd first in the World; but he had a Soul large enough to write rather for Posterity, than present Applause. He took so excessive a delight in the Old Language of his admired Chaucer, that he could not help, in some measure, imitating it.

Our greatest Writers having all given into an Ancient Dialect, would almost encline us of the present Age, to think of making their Language a standing Language; for Queen Elizabeth's Age is to us what Augustus's was to the Latins; we must never hope to have so many noble Genius's adorn any one Age for the future; I might have said, any twenty Ages. Therefore if any English Dialect survives to the World's End, 'twill certainly be theirs; and 'twill be prudence in any After-writer to draw his Language as near to theirs as possible; that if theirs are understood a thousand Years hence, his may too.

But to leave the Consideration of Old-Words in Epick Poetry and Tragedy, let us proceed to Pastoral. There are several Advantages flow from the Use of Old-Words, but I have time to mention but two or three.

There is a Spirit and a Liveliness of Expression to be preserv'd in Pastoral as well as other Poetry; now I affirm that 'tis impossible to perform this without Old-Words; unless a Writer make Shepherds talk Sublimely, and with Passion, as in Tragedies.

Again, if a Writer has a Genius for Pastoral he will have some Thoughts occur so inimitably Simple, that they would appear ridiculous in the Common Language; and 'tis necessary that the Language should answer to the Thought. These are the finest Thoughts of all for pastoral.

There are also several Thoughts which, tho' extreamly agreeable to the simple Innocence of young Country Girls, will appear too luscious, unless the Simplicity and Rusticity of the Speaker appear's, by the Old Language spoken. But we smile at a Thought in such simple Language, which perhaps we shall nauseate in a polite Dialect.

But one of the greatest Advantages of Old-Words, is, that they afford the Writer so fine an Opportunity of rendring his Language most inimitably soft and smooth. This cannot be done by any other Means; and how proper soft and simple Language is to Pastoral (at least where the Characters are Young, Tender, and Innocent) I need not say. As for VIRGIL and those Pastoral Writers who seem not to aim at Simplicity in either their Characters or Sentiments, the using of Old-Words is entirely different with regard to them. To see a Sentiment, which would as well become any other Person as a Shepherd, dress'd in the Simplicity of an Ancient Dialect, would appear nothing but Affectation. We are used to see such Sentiments in another Dress. Nay, were their Thoughts Simple, 'twould not be agreeable for them to use Old-Words, unless the whole Turn of their Language was answerable to it; to have a common, ordinary Language, with Old-Words scatter'd through it, is a mixt confused Language, and what is very expressively named by our Word Hodge-podge. 'Tis not enough therefore, for the forming a pastoral Language to use Old-Words; a Writer must set down, and by true Pains and Industry constitute a Language entirely of a piece and consistant; in performing which the choicest Old-Words will be of some little Assistance.

If I might advise you, Cubbin, I would have you always write Pastorals in either such a Language as this, entirely uniform and of a piece, or else to write in a strong polite Language. Never write any single thing in a low and mean Language. Polite Language is only faulty with respect to it's being in Pastoral; but low Language is in it's own Nature faulty. The first is only unnatural; the latter is stupid and dull. Therefore unless you resolve to go quite thro', never weaken or enervate your Pastoral Language at all. Unless you resolve to add Simplicity and Softness, to supply the place of Strength, never rob it of it's Strength. It had better have strength and Sprightliness and Politeness than Nothing.

The best Way is that which Sir Philip Sidney has taken, to suppose your Swains to live in the Golden-Age, and to be above the ordinary Degree of Shepherds, for Kings Sons and Daughters, were then of that Employ. And upon this Supposition to make 'em talk in a polite, delightful and refined Dialect. By this Means you will disable the Criticks at once.

But perhaps some may expect that I should vindicate the Use of Old-Words, on my own Account. But for that Reason I am the more careless in touching the Subject; because I would leave the World to a free and unbias'd Judgment of what I have done. Nor is this an Age, indeed, to begin to vindicate Old-Words in. The Method has been approv'd of in all Ages even in Epick Poetry and Tragedy, and should we go now to defend it in Pastoral? A Friend indeed of SPENCER's wrote a Vindication of his Old-Words, but had SPENCER been living be would doubtless have been ashamed of it's appearing in the World. 'Tis the Opinion of the best Judges that the Old-Words used by Mr. Row, even In the Tragedy of JANE SHORE are a great Beauty to that Piece. And those who have objected against SALLUST for affecting Old-Words, have made nothing out. Tho' History is to deliver plainly Matters of Fact, and not to flourish, and beautify it's self with foreign Ornaments, as Poetry is. There are not so many disapprove of SALLUST's Old-Words, as commend him for adding a Majesty and Solemness to his Writings thereby.

I might add (were there occasion for vindicating Old-Words) that we have render'd our English Language unexpressive and bare of Words, by throwing out several useful Old-Words; as Freundina a She-Friend; Theowin a She-Servant, &c. But as no one has shewn Old-Words to be faulty, for so many hundred Years, 'twould be folly to trouble the Reader with a Vindication of 'em, at this Day. The only Question is, whether an Author has chose the Softest and Finest; or has shown by his Choice the weakness of his Judgment.

SECT. 3.

Of Compound Words.

Another thing which occasions Softness in the Pastoral Language, if rightly managed, is the use of Compound Words. But there is nothing requires a greater Genius than to form Beautiful Compound Words in Epick Poetry, or more Exactness and Labour in Pastoral. In Epick Poetry 'tis absurd to make a Compound Word, unless it helps forward the Sence; and in Pastory, it must add to the Softness of the Dialect, and in some measure assist the Thought, yet it need not do it so much as in Epick Poetry; where a Writer of Genius will form such Compound Words as will each contain as much as a whole Line. As may be seen in Homer, and the Greek Poets, especially. Among the English, Milton's are often very fine.

Brandish'd aloft the horrid Edge came down, Wide-wasting.

The Compound Words, in Pastory, must be so easy and natural, as scarce to be observ'd from the other Language. They must run easy and smooth, and glide off the Tongue, and that will occasion their not being observ'd in the reading.

A Pastoral Writer will often be able, if he gives an Image in one Line, by a Compound Word in that Line to give another Image, or another Thought as full and as fine an one as that which the whole Line contains. But as this and the like Observations cannot be well understood without Instances quoted, I shall leave 'em to the Observation of those who intend to engage in Pastoral Writing; for that and nothing else, will put 'em upon a thorough Search into the Springs and Rules by which all former Pastoral Writers have excell'd.

SECT. 4.

Of Turns of Words and Phrazes.

Another help to Softness, and the very greatest Beauty of all in the Pastoral Language, is, a handsome use of Phrazes. This must depend entirely on the Genius of the Writers, for there is no one Rule can be given for the attaining thereto. A Person who writes now may imitate Ovid and Spencer in this particular (if he can submit his Fancy to Imitation) and that is all the Assistance he can have. As for rural Phrazes, there are not above half a dozen in all the Counties or Dialects that I am acquainted with.

All that we can do on this Head, is to leave the Reader to Observation. For I confess that I do not so much as know how I came by those few I myself have, farther than that by use and practising in an Uncommon Dialect, I happen'd on 'em at Unawares.

However I may quote those which are the very finest of any in Spencer. Who is the only Writer in our Language that ever attempted tender Phrazes or Turns of Words. Yet there are two such Passages in Creech's Theocritus, which I will also quote.

All as the Sheep, such was the Shepherd's Look; For pale and wan he was (alas the while!) &c.

And again.

Ye Gods of Love, who pity Lover's Pain. (If any Gods the Pain of Lovers pity) &c.

And again.

A simple Shepherd Born in Arcady, Of gentlest Blood that ever Shepherd bore, &c.

Such beautiful Turns of Words as these are extremely scarce in Spencer; but he has not one but what is inimitably fine and natural.

Let us now see the two Phrazes which Creech has happen'd upon. Whose Language I have observ'd to be infinitely the best of any of our Pastoral writers, next to Spencer. This is one of them. A Shepherdess says to a persuading Swain.

You will deceive, you Men are all Deceit; And we so willing to believe the Cheat.

The other is this, to Diana; when she consents.

I liv'd your Vot'ry, but no more can live.